This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on March 22, 2016, on our previous website. As our hearts ache, again, following another terrorist attack, many of us feel that restlessness that forms in the aftermath of atrocity. What can we do? How can we help? Many of us are far away and feel so much sorrow. We are challenged, again, to know how best to encourage, support, and enact care. Here's a few practices that ICTG staff, directors, advisors, and colleagues have found most useful following human-caused disasters that occur far away:
With these acts you get involved in countering terror locally and globally. These acts make a difference. Be a blessing this week. Sustain online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
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This post, written by guest-blogger Rev. Shaun Lee, originally was published on March 3, 2016, on our previous website. It was two days after Thanksgiving and a regular Saturday morning until I received a call from one of the deacons asking me if I heard about the fire. He then began to tell me about a fire one of the families of our church experienced that morning. He first saw it on the news and recognized the house. Once he confirmed it he quickly called me. One of our ushers, Olivia*, and her husband died in the fire. Her grandson, Jeremy, a member of our technology team and a sophomore in college, was rushed to the hospital severely burned. His mother Cynthia, who had just joined the church thee weeks prior, was taken to the hospital also, but she had no physical injuries. The next 48 hours were probably the most difficult of my pastorate thus far. There were multiple issues of trauma that needed to be dealt with and I had to prioritize how to deal with them. I cannot sit here and honestly say that I mapped out how I was going to deal with the different facets of this pastorally. I will say that God providentially lead the way as we grappled with such a traumatic blow. I will very briefly discuss how I responded to the church and family during the trauma and the recovery effort post trauma. I first went to the church. We had our soup kitchen that day and the ushers were already meeting upstairs. The news surprisingly did not get out since it just happened and it was still relatively early in the day. I was able to sit with them and tell them the horrible news. We prayed together with tears and disbelief. It was the death of their friend that hurt, but what hurt even more was that Jeremy’s life now stood in the balance and no one knew what the future would hold. What we knew was hard enough, but what we did not know frightened us even more. We prayed for comfort and we prayed for his healing. After dealing with the church family I found out what hospital they were taken to and immediately made my way there. They were not allowing anyone to see them because apparently the media had been trying to get to their room for an interview and to get pictures of them. Fortunately Cynthia was coherent enough that when she heard I was trying to see them she gave her permission. When I first saw her I could see in her face all she had gone through within the last 8 hours. Losing both of her parents in the fire and now having her son 3 rooms down from her severely burned took a toll on her spirit, and it showed on her face. We talked for a while and then I prayed with her. I then prepared myself to go see her Jeremy. He’s a young man that so many people admire and love. He’s a joy and pleasure to be around. I walked in and he was bandaged up but coherent. We talked, cried, and even laughed. He was fully aware of what happened and was still able to find a semblance of peace. His strength during this moment astounded me. Yes, he was sad and even with the medicine was in severe pain, but he looked beyond the moment and talked about hope for the future. I was trying to see how I was going to encourage him and he encouraged me. He later would have several painful skin grafts and would be in the hospital for over a month. I am glad to report that he is recovering well. After he was discharged from the hospital we were finally able to have a memorial for Olivia and Charles. Cynthia did not want to have any ceremony with Jeremy in the hospital so we respected her wishes and the congregation waited. The memorial gave some since of closure to the family and the church for at least one chapter in this tragic story. Safe to say that dealing with the trauma of the moment was only half of the battle. We are now dealing with their displacement, financial issues, and mental therapy. To neglect post trauma recovery is really another trauma all in itself. While we continue to pray with and for them we also took special donations of money and clothing. We were also able to connect them with a therapist that would be able to help them deal with the after affects of the fire. Jeremy stated that it’s hard for him to sleep now, because the fire happened while he was sleep. Given the circumstances they went through Jeremy and Cynthia are in a good place. It has been almost 3 months since the fire and both are attending worship services regularly and getting involved in various aspects of ministry again. We continue to pull together as a church family to aid them through the rest of this recovery. It was encouraging to see as a pastor how God moved and continues to help us minister to one of our families in the the midst of such a tragic circumstance. *The names in this story have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved. Sustain online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on January 29, 2016, on our previous website. For far too long, popular culture throughout the United States imagined ourselves mostly unaffected by trauma. Perhaps this denial is a hang over from World War experiences. Certainly, as my grandmother liked to say about her experiences in the 1950s, "all we wanted was normal." At some point though, wanting normal seemed to merge into pretending or lying about the fact that things were not normal at all. In his recent book, The Body Keeps the Score (2014), traumatologist Bessel van der Kolk makes clear that even if we want to imagine we are not traumatized our bodies cannot tell a lie. Even at the cost of our own lives, in fact, our bodies relentlessly strive to communicate how wounding has occurred. Our bodies are constant truth-tellers. "Traumatic events," van der Kolk explains, "such as family and social violence, rapes and assaults, disasters, wars, accidents and predatory violence confront people with such horror and threat" that they temporarily or permanently alter capacities to cope, biological functioning, and self-image. If ministers want to foster organizations marked by senses of belonging, hopefulness, and joy, they must recognize the ways trauma impedes this progress. Van der Kolk notes trauma does not only affect psychological functioning; it significantly decreases our inhibitions. It damages our abilities to manage addiction, practice safe sex, feed ourselves well, sleep well, and exercise. "A study of almost 10,000 patients in a medical setting reported that persons with histories of being severely maltreated as a child showed a 4 12 times greater risk of developing alcoholism, depression, and drug abuse, attempting suicide, a 2 to 4 times greater risk of smoking, having at least 50 sex partners, acquiring sexually transmitted disease, a 1.4 to 1.6 times greater risk of physical inactivity and obesity, and a 1.6 to 2.9 times greater risk for ischemic heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, skeletal fractures, hepatitis, stroke, diabetes, and liver disease." Often, in religious settings, these practices are seen as taboos or sinful practices. Some groups believe they come about from demonic pressures, even. But, viewing trauma response in these ways severely misunderstands normative human reaction to trauma, including inherent impulses to fight, flee, or freeze, and is unable to see how these responses are critical forms of self-preservation. What if, instead, faith leaders viewed these many behaviors as ways the body of a person was trying to communicate a story or an account of what's happened? What if more congregations became known for being sanctuaries amid life's storms – places where people belong, can be honest about what's happened, experience care, and find practical steps for moving through the chaos of grief and loss? Interestingly, simply acknowledging the wounding can set healing processes motion. Whether we journal, participate in talk therapies, dance, sing, create art, exercise, cry on a loved one's shoulder, or role play, these many forms of acknowledging instigate our healing hormones and counteract any trauma-related hormones that may have gotten stuck in the courses of denial. Another unique way that congregations can acknowledge what's happened, provide care, and offer practical steps for moving through chaos is by blessing trauma responses. Singing in worship, preaching, liturgical practices of sacrament and ritual, and through individual, collective and responsive prayers, are four ways through word and action faith leaders model understandings of how trauma responses serve as protective practices in times of threat. In your own congregation, following crises, you may:
These are just a few of many examples. What are practices of blessing trauma responses that have been meaningful in your congregation? Share them in the comments below. Sustain free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on January 20, 2016, on our previous website. Throughout 2015, more often than not it seems congregations gathered for worship in the aftermath of trauma. Whether due to tornado damage, severe flooding, domestic violence, university upheaval, or mass shootings, with glaring headlines we were reminded weekly of the ongoing pain and suffering around our country. And each week, people showed up among congregations seeking hope and renewal. Yet, in some cases, the congregations themselves were traumatized. Collective trauma threatens core sense of identity and belonging. In his book A New Species of Trouble (1994), sociologist Kai Erikson (son of renowned psychologist Erik Erikson) describes collective trauma as a "blow to the basic tissues of social life that damages the bonds attaching people together and impairs the prevailing sense of community" (p 233). It's hard to think of a congregation being traumatized – especially when the congregation is the very place you are going to seek healing. How can a congregation meet the harsh demands of today when its own sense of continuity and bonding are impaired? Incredibly, healing does not only come from strength. Rather, healing emerges when caring people gather together to acknowledge what's happened, observe what is needed now, and begin to meet those needs. There are many ways to accomplish these steps – through words, rituals, body language, and presence. Here's an example of one: In December 2014, faith leaders around Ferguson, MO, implemented "Lay It on the Table" services. Professor of Religion at Muskingum University, Rick Nutt says: "The ideas was that, in the presence of the Lord's Table and in the wake of the events that followed the announcement that no indictment would be brought against Officer Wilson, members of the churches would have the opportunity to say whatever was on their minds and hearts." During one of these services, Nutt observed: "People in the congregation . . . spoke honestly about their fears, their frustrations, and their hopes. It was a time of speaking and listening that conveyed that trust that people placed in one another. Once everyone who wished to do so had shared – 'laying down their lives' on the sacrament table – the congregation celebrated the sacrament at this table." Nutt recommends that more communities seeking reconciliation consider crafting services like these ones. "In a time rampant with ubiquitous laments for the loss of civil discourse, worshipping communities encourage honest speaking." Hosting opportunities for faithful people to lament, mourn, seek forgiveness, share gratitude, and express relief, provides relational catalysts for healing by building practical steps through the chaos of loss and grief. Sadly, we are acutely aware how responding to and leading congregations through the aftermath of local and national tragedies is a vital and inherent part of the minister's vocation today. Perhaps you practiced, experienced, or observed meaningful ways your own congregation responded to crises in 2015. We invite you to share about these best practices in the comments below. Encourage free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Joseph Kim Paxton, originally was published on December 15, 2015, on our previous website. Weekends can be tough for ministers. Think back on your past week, whether you were preaching, teaching, or assisting in the organization for weekend service. Every weekend requires a lot of effort and carries a lot of responsibilities. After the sermon or teaching a religious lesson, the minister often will need to meet with the congregants, and some may be in crisis. In these situations, a minister can feel “stuck” between her or his expectation to meet with other congregants and her or his perception that this individual requires personal attention and care. Solution-focused brief therapy offers two tools that can help a minister offer efficient and empathic care and avoid getting stuck in time-consuming “problem talk” or “venting” and transition the struggling congregant from being problem-focused to solution-oriented. Consider this as a “mini-session” of pastoral care. Problem talk is venting. When a person is engaged in problem talk, they are not concerned with solutions or insights that might help them to cope with their struggle. Instead, they are more concerned with expressing their frustrations and talking about “how bad” the problem is. Empathy and concern should be used to show concern and care for the difficulty or crisis the congregant may be experiencing. However, it is very easy to “feel stuck” listening to a congregant vent. A solution-focused approach, taken from solution-focused brief therapy, offers two solutions that can help a minister efficiently and empathically provide time-sensitive care: empathy and scaling. First, the minister or care-provider should offer empathy. An example of this might be a statement like, “Wow, it sounds like you are really struggling; that must be so hard!” Empathy facilitates the expression of care, concern, and compassion. Next, a scaling question helps the care-seeker avoid or escape problem talk and transition to a solution-focused approach. A scaling question asks the care-seeker to determine their wellness on a scale of 1-10. For example, a care-provider may ask, “On a scale of 1-10, 1 being terrible and 10 being excellent, how are you doing today?” Next, the care-provider will ask the congregant what they would need to do to move 1 number up from their current location. For example, a care-provider might ask, “If you were to move from a 4 to a 5 this week, how would you know? What are some things that would need to change, or what would you be doing differently?” A scaling question helps the care-seeker shift from a problem-oriented outlook to a solution-focused position. This can be a very efficient process that does not lack empathy or compassion. These solution-focused tools equip the minister to be efficient and empathic in the practice of care, enable the care-seeker to schedule an additional meeting for pastoral care, and empower the congregant to efficiently transition from being “stuck” in problem talk and move towards a solution-focused orientation. Encourage free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Doug Ranck, originally was published on December 4, 2015, on our previous website. The notifications came like a tsunami to my cell phone: “Active shooter situation in San Bernardino” “Unknown number wounded and killed.” My first reaction: “Not again. I’m weary of this, I’m discouraged. How long will it be until this happens in my neighborhood . . . again?” Perhaps you experienced those feelings too. I had to stop and wonder why I think so many other countries are dangerous to visit when my own is impacted weekly by active shooters in schools, churches, universities, malls and community centers. Sadly, it has become a new normal. This weekend, in the context of the church, I will be debriefing with our gathered youth the events of the last week. In former days this would have happened rarely and only following an event I subjectively measured as “big.” Or, it might have happened if one of our youth brought it up as a prayer request or if the national news was covering it for consecutive days. It might have been perceived as an “option” but not likely a necessity. I propose we are in a season where debriefing is now a necessity. With the frequency of terrorist acts and mass shootings now a regular occurrence – more than five have happened in the last two weeks alone – and how social media creates incessant communication, it is important for us as youth leaders to recognize that the trauma of these many episodes no longer lies below the surface for our youth and children. The smiles on the faces of our youth may be hiding anxiety they are feeling. And it is important for us, as leaders, to be honest with our youth in age appropriate ways when we are the ones feeling anxious. Join me this Sunday or the next time you meet with your youth to reflect and talk as a “family.” Here is a simple game plan you could adapt in your debrief time to fit your own context:
Make this plan your own. What other ideas would you add? What's worked well for your groups in the past? Help sustain free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on November 30, 2015, on our previous website. One of the frequent tips that we offer ministers after crises is guidelines for talking with their congregations after crises. Communication is one of the three keys to healing after trauma. Communicating well with a congregation especially is critical to healing after collective trauma. You can learn more about communication and guides for communication with congregations and staffs in our Resource Guides, available on the ICTG Training page. As ICTG directors and advisors – in our experience as leaders who have deployed to post-disaster sites, as leading scholars in the fields of pastoral theology, congregational care, spiritual formation, and youth ministry, and as professionals certified in critical incident debriefing – we have found the following practices most helpful following collective trauma:
These are some of the tips we've gathered over the years and shared with one another. You may have found other points helpful too. Or, perhaps you experienced times or circumstances where these points needed correction for your community. We'd love to hear from you! Feel free to share your experience, wisdom, and questions in the comments below. You can sustain free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post, written by Kate Wiebe, originally was published on October 14, 2015, on our previous website. Do your circumstances determine your quality of life? It's a question that Victor Frankl made famous through his personal curiosity, exploration, and championing. In considering a person's search for meaning, I want to consider here in particular quality of living. What determines it? What's it's source? Perhaps, as Frankl writes, quality of living is rooted in a person's sense of ultimately meaning or purpose. I think it's source also is in a person's senses of value. What values are non-negotiable and inform your senses of what's most meaningful and purposeful beyond yourself? I've wrestled with these questions for many years, and they surfaced again in recent conversations with friends and colleagues. Topics of gun-control, not withstanding. For example, a friend recently recalled a time when her husband and she were considering whether or not to have a gun in the house for protection. The conversation eventually came down to the fact that, at least for a brief time, they seemed to stand on separate sides of what was the ultimate goal of having a gun in the house. Essentially, they wondered together, did they want to protect themselves and their home or did they want the ability to kill someone, if deemed necessary? One felt strongly about the importance of having the ability to protect themselves and their home up to the line of ever killing another person, while the other felt that killing another person might be part of the overall package of having the ability to protect themselves and their home. Their conversation shifted then to values, and, ultimately to the value of human life regardless of circumstances. As with this conversation, I think a lot about personal values, outside circumstances, and quality of living. Mainly because trauma renders all of those concepts so raw and real – moments of reckoning I encounter frequently. Trauma begs the question: What determines quality of living? In my mind, this is a critical question for ministers to host. Because the answer to this question informs the quality of ministries among congregations and communities that have been forever changed by trauma. So, how do ministers host a question like this one? Here's a couple ways: – Encourage small groups and Bible study groups to consider these questions:
– Create a sermon or sermon series around these questions. – Create a pastoral care tip sheet that encourages members in developing personal and family habits that enhance good quality of living. Do you have other ideas? Have you seen other practices work well among your congregation? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Help sustain free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
The following post by Melissa Marley-Bonnichsen originally was published on September 16, 2015 on our previous website. The returning back to college and university campuses at the start of the year is an exciting time for many students. The energy, like static electricity, moves through the air in those days and nights leading up the start of the semester; this feeling is truly magical. There is so much anticipation, joy, and excitement going around that it almost feels electric. While some wait till the last minute to return to campus, many choose to return Saturday morning, some even Friday night, eager to move back into the dorms in hopes to squeeze a couple more drops out of summer, enjoying this time with their peers whom they have missed and are now trying to reconnect with. It feels like this is what college is all about and excitement for the school year builds, opening student’s hearts and minds to what is ahead. It is one of the most exciting and anticipatory times on campus, but for some it serves as a reminder of how different they are, now, than from when they left that space months ago. Instead of excitement being their dominant emotion they feel isolated from the joy their peers seem to bask in as grief and loss run their course. They have come back to campus but they are not the same, something in their lives has changed. For these students whose summer has been interrupted by loss, grief or crisis, these days of joy and excitement can be difficult and isolating. Regardless of the experience – parents divorcing, a death of a loved one or pet, loss of a home, a community torn apart, a major life event that has altered their story, or a messy and painful breakup, these students are in the midst of their dark night and are walking through the shadow of death – and perhaps they are going unnoticed. As our academic communities re-adjourn this fall let us remember to support those who are hurting from trauma experienced over the summer. There are many things you and your communities can do, including simply being there for these students, but here are some suggestions that might truly communicate to students in need that you care and can support them through this difficult time. Create Space for Grief and Lament This space can be physical or structural. This might mean reserving a hall/campus chapel for those experiencing grief and loss or for those who might want to lift up prayers or lament. It may mean creating space in a morning worship session for moments of remembrance so people can call to mind their grief and allow them to lift thoughts, names, or prayer to God. It may mean offering a space to light candles to honor others, regardless, sacred space is important in working through our grief. I have found that even some of the folks who desire to stay away from religion still are drawn to beautiful, holy things – if you create a space like this people will come. I remember when our favorite cat passed away. Her illness came on quick and for whatever reason she was not responding to any of the help we obtained for her. When I asked if she was suffering and the vet looked at me with sympathetic loving eyes and told us yes, we knew we had to say goodbye. While enduring such a difficult moment the animal hospital was incredibly helpful and supportive to my family and I. It was both beautiful and amazing how this organization handled death with such incredible dignity. In the facility there was a beautiful sacred room that had been created for goodbyes and they gave everyone a pet loss journal which for 30 days would walk someone who had experienced the loss of a pet through their grief, while leaving many pages for one’s own lament. Additionally they offered memory days where you could go once a month to the hospital and sit with art therapists who would help you design a memory box or picture frame to remember your little loved one by. Their approach to others grief and lament was holistic as our approach should also be. Let them know that they are not alone Especially at a time when students are sharing eagerly their summer adventures with each other, students who have stories of loss or trauma can feel like the odd woman/man out. Because of this it is important that we continue to let our struggling students know that they are not alone – both in grieving on campus and within their own suffering – as Jesus walks with them through every moment, sigh, and tear. If support groups in your community or on your campus exist, please make sure this resource is widely available. Campus vigils dedicated to loss of loved ones are often held throughout the semester- especially if a student in the college or university community has passed away. Advertising open moments for gathering at a sacred space will also allow your students to see that they are not alone and that others are also on their own journeys towards healing. Finally, working with the student affairs community on campus or meeting with hall directors briefly at the beginning of the year and sharing about resources from your community or your work will be helpful in promoting opportunities for students to find others who are experiencing loss and grief. Let them know that their story will not end here When the moment is right, after much discerning on your part, encourage them to remember that this is not the end of their story, although it may feel like it. Working through loss, grief, and trauma is a long process with many stages, but movement through these stages is very helpful and students will eventually get through all of them. It is in this place we can evoke the phoenix metaphor; rising from the fire and ash we are transformed, different people who have come back but are not the same. This too adds to our stories and it is important that our students understand this. From my own tradition, and in my work among Catholic and Protestant Christians at the University of Notre Dame, I find it is also important that students know that they are never alone in their suffering, that Jesus was with them every step of the way. In this moment the famous prayer by Thomas Merton is made manifest… "My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone." With open arms and warm hearts let us walk prayerfully with those who have experienced deep loss or trauma over the summer and help them transition well into the school year and beyond. You can sustain free online education by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
This post originally was published on June 30, 2015, on our previous website. Several years ago, my sister moved to a new city and began seeking out a new Protestant church home. One Sunday morning she visited a church and after the worship service went to the welcome table to find out more information about how young adults could get involved with the congregation. The woman at the desk became flustered said couldn't find the pamphlets for young adults, but if my sister would wait a moment the woman would go look for them. Thinking it would just be a minute or two, my sister agreed. Many minutes went by though, and in the meantime, other visitors approached the desk looking for information. Being the creative, present person that she is, each time my sister would glance around the table and find the pamphlet that fit what the person was looking for. Each time, she and the visitor would chat a bit, and eventually laugh that this was both of their first times visiting, and how no one was really attending the welcome center. After more than twenty minutes, my sister walked out. There's lots of things we could say about this experience, but the thing I want to focus on – the part that has to do with congregations being healthy and nurturing environments – is the fact that these days, the vast majority of visitors do not need a pamphlet. Maybe a small card with contact information. What people need most today is other caring people to welcome them. Not one person at the church my sister visited ever found out, or ever inquired to find out, that my sister was brand new to the city and looking for a new church home and even was hopeful that this one might be it. No one found out my sister's name, got her contact information, or went about any of the things that caring people often do to welcome a person who has recently moved. Moving is not traumatic – though, on the other hand, you might have a story of how it was for you! But moving does share some of the qualities of feeling traumatized, including isolation, instability, foreignness, sadness or depression, and loss of normal routines. As we see in the example above, care is important at any stage of life. And, it is especially important in the aftermath of trauma. Further more, as faithful people, we cannot afford to ignore the current studies about how pervasive experiences of trauma are throughout our country today. How we care for one another in the aftermath of trauma will make all the difference. About two years ago, we provided a blog post on the Seven Key Traits of Trauma-informed Congregations. There's no time like the present to revisit these all-important practices. Trauma experts say that three practices make up the essence of how trauma-informed care begins and takes shape among congregations. Congregations who practice those disciplines bring the following traits to bear and, in turn, create environments that heal trauma effectively and consistently are life-giving. Three Practices Safe, trustworthy relationships Group relaxation and self-regulation Sharing life stories honestly In our Resource Guide, ICTG has come to call these practices "the three C's": community, calming, and communication. If that's helpful to you to remember them – great. However you keep these practices in mind, they will make a tremendous difference for you and your loved ones. Seven Traits 1. Acknowledge the scope of adverse experiences common to persons today. The ACEstudy has helped the medical community, law enforcement, legal institutions, NGOs, and faith communities all begin to see how adverse childhood experiences directly correlate with adult illnesses. Based on their work, we now know that almost 50% of all children in the United States today will experience one, two, or more traumatic events or never know what it is to feel safe as a child before they turn 18 years-old. Trauma-informed congregations recognize these facts and build their mission, vision, and ministry programs in light of this common understanding. 2. Recognize the impact and communicate what happened. Like acknowledging the scope of experiences the congregation has endured, trauma-informed congregations sense how those experiences impact individual and corporate life. They expect that the ripple-effects of emotional and biological reactions are far-reaching, and they make spaces for communicating what happened through liturgy, song, prayer, sacrament, testimonies, theater, addiction and abuse recovery programs, and small groups. 3. Compassionate curiosity within safe boundaries. Trauma-informed congregation continue to build a community resource network and, as staff and lay people, they train to provide safe places for people to share "what happened". They are compassionately curious, and interested to bear witness honestly to adverse experience from the past that may be influencing fear or defense tactics in the present. They view forms of "acting out" as new opportunities for building trustworthy and emotionally safe relationships. 4. Group and self-regulation. Life is emotional. There's many highs and lows in any given day or week, especially with broad access to mass and social media platforms. Trauma-informed congregations create reliable rhythms for calming, centering, breathing deeply and steadily together through song or prayer or times of silence, and for reminding one another of the pathways through the valleys of the shadows of death. 5. Reliably caring relationships. Trauma-informed congregations actively build and sustain trustworthy, hospitable, joyful, loving relationships. They understand that these kinds of relationships are vital to creating resilience. 6. Purpose. Members of trauma-informed congregations show up ready to participate in the corporate meaning-making they share. Their enthusiasm is contagious. Unlike flashy marketing or manipulative pleas for service, they are excited to make space to listen to one another and to grow in renewed understandings of what is truly life-giving to the persons involved in the body of the congregation. Rather than trying to fix persons problems for them, trauma-informed congregations are marked by directing interventions and healing practices that are created by and driven by persons-in-healing being served and growing in their own senses of what truly is resourceful. 7. Ongoing Self-Care. Trauma-informed congregants understand that healing is a high-impact sport. You cannot care for others without being touched by what's happened. That is why they intentionally practice personal care to sustain their abilities to care for others. For example, they allow themselves to be held accountable by trustworthy friends or colleagues. They identify specific personal limits. They maintain current and effective referral practices for when they are hearing about or addressing needs that go beyond their abilities and to encourage safety. They practice life-giving work and life rhythms, including regular exercise, sleep, eating, and leisure. As congregations cultivate these hallmarks, they express a sense of living in the world today that directly counters the traumatic effects that pervade our society now. Help sustain free online education and blogging by making a financial contribution today or becoming a monthly donor. Thank you for your generosity!
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CONGREGATIONAL BLOG
From 2012-2020, this blog space explored expanding understanding and best practices for leadership and congregational care.
This website serves as a historical mark of work the Institute conducted prior to 2022. This website is no longer updated. Archives
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